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In this video, you'll see children in a Music Together class in Nagoya, Japan, enjoying the chant "Five Little Mice" (from the Maracas song collection) in both English and Japanese.

Nezumi and neko (mice and cats) are two of the most popular characters that appear in Japanese children's stories and songs. Cats are probably the most familiar animal to Japanese children. In some rural areas, cats are easily spotted wandering around on the streets and sunbathing on the front porches of houses. As the children in the video recite "Five Little Mice" in Japanese, perhaps they are remembering the cats (neko) they saw on the way to their class!    

What are your children's favorite animals to sing about? Share them with us on Facebook or post a video of your own on our YouTube channel!  

Lili's Book Review

Dr. Lili Levinowitz is Music Together's Director of Research and the coauthor of Music Together. She is also a Professor of Music Education at Rowan University.  

I remember, when my child was young, how important it was for me to feel up-to-date on information regarding children's growth and development. Now, to help others stay current, I will periodically prepare a book review for the "adults who love" the children in our Music Together program.

This time I have chosen to review Mind in the Making, by Ellen Galinsky, which has some insight into how to support the learning and growth of young children and gives evidence that the Music Together processes are indeed supportive of that learning and growth.    

READ LILI'S BOOK REVIEW    

Shopping 

Do you ever use balls to help your child "see the music," like Anne suggests in Music Together at Home? Email your ideas to retail@musictogether.com for a chance to win one of five red Original Gertie Balls in our summer giveaway. We'll post your ideas on our website (see For Enrolled Families) and on our Facebook Page. Please enter by August 31, 2011. Winners will be notified via email by September 16, 2011.

Why do we recommend Gertie Balls for music-play? They have a unique surface that makes them extra easy to throw and catch-even for the youngest kids---and they are always light and gentle, for both indoor and outdoor play. Visit the Music Together online store to learn more about both the Original and the Bumpy Gertie Balls.

Connect with Us!

The Universal Appeal  

of Music Together   

by Kate Battenfeld  

All across the globe, in more than two thousand communities spanning over twenty-five countries, families are finding common ground through Music Together. The program connects families and communities who share in the delight of a basic human instinct---the desire to make music. And one of the unique features of Music Together is that no matter where you are---whether it's Iowa or Istanbul---your family is singing the same songs and reading the same songbooks as everyone else!

 READ FULL ARTICLE

Ask Ken

Ken Guilmartin is the Founder/Director of Music Together LLC and the coauthor of Music Together. Do you have a question about children's music development you'd like Ken to answer in the next family newsletter? Email it to news@musictogether.com.

I've heard that research has shown a connection between music training and excellence in math. Will enrolling in music class enhance my child's ability to do well in school? Does music really make you smarter?

READ KEN'S ANSWER 

Featured Preschool:

Heron Pond Montessori School

by Kate Battenfeld

At Heron Pond Montessori School in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, it's not uncommon for a preschool student to spontaneously break into song. Often, the teachers and the rest of the class join in, too! Since the school implemented the Music Together Preschool program in the fall of 2009, spontaneous, joyful music-making has become a part of its natural world.

READ FULL ARTICLE 

Music Together at Home

It's the time of year when sprinklers, pools, and the beach beckon us to splash around and cool down. No matter where you play in the water, there's bound to be a beach ball close by, and that ball has some amazing musical possibilities.  

Grab a beach ball, turn up the radio, or start singing one of your family's favorite songs, and get ready to have some fun! Start by tossing the ball up in the air and catching it on the beat as you sing. Toss, catch. Toss, catch. Give your child her own ball, and see if she can join you in tossing on the beat. (Many children will be slightly off-beat---especially when catching!---but don't worry about or correct this; just stay on the beat yourself.) Ready for a change-up? Roll that ball to a friend, rolling and stopping on the beat. Roll, stop. Roll, stop. You can also try holding the ball under water and then letting go, so it zooms up into the air---again, on the beat. Hold, zoom, catch. Hold, zoom, catch. 

While watching the musical beach ball, your child will be watching the beat of the music travel through space, visually taking in the entire length of the beat as the ball travels from one spot to another. It's like seeing the rhythm of the music. Have fun! 

Anne Sailer is a Music Together teacher in Montclair NJ. Check out Anne's blog, Spin and Stop, filled with fun ideas for family music-making.